Dangerous New Drug

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Transform is pleased to announce that our groundbreaking 2009 publication 'After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation' has been translated and republished in German, joining existing translations in Spanish (pdf) and Italian (print). The German version is available for download as a pdf, and in hard copy.

We are extremely greatful to our colleagues at Akzept for publishing this new German edition, in particular Prof Dr Heino Stöver for all his work with the translation and production. Please alert any German-speaking contacts who may be interested, or contact Transform with suggestions for potential audiences or individuals to send print copies.

Below the text of the new foreword from Transform:

It is a delight to be writing the foreword to the German translation of “Blueprint”. Little did we know when we launched the book that it would have the international resonance that it has. This is the third translation since the UK launch in 2009, adding to the Spanish and Italian versions. The e‐book version has been downloaded more than 350,000 times, it has received the endorsement by the editor of the British Medical Journal, has been widely referenced in a range of publications and journals, and we have been invited to speak about it in countries across Europe and as far afield as Mexico and Thailand. Over 5000 print copies have been disseminated to policy makers, opinion formers, academics and activists around the world, and other language versions are in the pipeline.

The War on Drugs is a disaster by any objective measure. However, to change an emotive and deeply entrenched 50 year‐old global policy, it will not be enough to demonstrate that the current approach is failing. We must also show the world what the alternative could look like. One of the key aims of the book is to fill a gap in the drug policy reform debate about how post‐prohibition models of regulation could practically function. In the two years since publication it has usefully achieved this goal. And, whilst it never sought to answer all the questions, it has at least provided a much firmer foundation for debate around the feasibility of drug regulation in a post‐prohibition world.

And this is not just a utopian dream ‐ a number of developments have taken place in the last year that will make “Blueprint” a practical political tool. 2011 saw the publication of the report from the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Amongst the distinguished grouping of commissioners are the former General Secretary of the United Nations and six former heads of state. Along with a range of pragmatic recommendations in the report was a clear call to “Encourage experimentation by governments with models of legal regulation of drugs to undermine the power of organized crime and safeguard the health and security of their citizens”. And since the Global Commission report the debate has leapt onto the political agenda, with a number of sitting heads of state in Latin American countries publicly calling for a meaningful debate on alternatives to prohibition, including models of legal drug market regulation. President Santos of Colombia called for a review of global drug policy, asking that “all options be put on the table”. President Obama announced that legalisation look at “where the drug laws are doing more harm than good”. And the President of Guatemala called for legalisation and regulation to undermine the criminal gangs in Central America. In 2012 the Organisation of American States will conduct a review of drug policy in the Americas, and this book could be used to model one of the policy options.

The approach taken in “Blueprint” has been to present the options for regulation in a clear, rational, pragmatic and non confrontational way in order to achieve the goals that everyone can agree upon – the desire for a safer, healthier society. In doing so we have effectively challenged some of the common myths about legalisation and regulation. Our experience has been that the book facilitates engagement even with those who take issue with the detail of the proposed models – from the most ardent “drug warriors” to the most passionate free market libertarians (interestingly it has been the latter that have been most vocally critical). Such disagreement and debate still represents progress as it indicates how we are now debating principles and detail of effective regulation rather than whether or not regulation is needed.

Germany has historically been a world leader in implementing harm reduction in dealing with drug use, a country prepared to put aside ideology and instead operate a pragmatic approach to dealing with the reality of drug use and misuse. Germany could, if it chooses take the next step and put legal regulation firmly on the international agenda and link the debate in Latin America with the one taking place in Europe. At a time when we are all experiencing the worst economic recession of modern times, Germany could use the opportunity to challenge the drug war as a significant waste of dwindling financial resources.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

There are many different forms of addiction like surfing the net, sex, food and many others. Out of all, alcohol and drug addiction are the most dangerous one that can even take the life of an individual. People of any age group can be a victim of this life-taking addiction. To help all those people, who have become a patient of the addition of any health hazardous substances, plenty alcohol and drug rehab centers are established all across the globe. Many people take alcohol and drugs in excess to come over with their daily problems, some big tragedy of their lives, depression and loneliness. On their way of becoming an alcoholic and addicts, a person usually forgets that consuming such harmful substance is not a solution to the problems. Rather, it adds to the problems of the person as well as his family members.

Alcoholic and addicts choose such way of living because they feel comfortable and satisfied for a time being completely lost in their own lives. Generally, young aggressive people who have an ideology of trying forbidden things become addicts. They end up listing their name among the addicted persons. Thank God, we have an alcohol and drug rehab located throughout the world to offer the treatment to alcoholism and drug addicts. These rehab centers are hold specialization in their work and help individuals in coming out of their addiction soon.

Every individual patient has different treatment need depending on their case condition. Accordingly, various rehab centers are engaged in offering treatment programs designed by experienced health experts. They focus on helping drug addicts and alcoholics to set free from their bad habits and given them many groups or individual counseling session along with the treatment.

Victims of drug and alcohol addiction can recover quickly only if they agree the fact that they are certainly under the influence of drugs and alcohol and need to undergo some recovery treatment. The chances of quick recovery of such people are much more in comparison to the others, who refuse recovery medication because they believe that their body do not require any treatment. It is a myth, they are living with that need to be broken soon by their family and friends. Such people should be soon taken to alcohol and drug rehab centers so that continuous medication, check up and follow-up can be provided in time.

Treatment for the recovery of any kind of addiction cannot work alone work alone. Support, care and attention of family is also important for the recovery of drug users and alcoholics. At times, it is found that relapses may take place because of the missing support of the family. Such relapses do not mean that the patient is not responding well to the treatment, it is just that he is in need of extra care and attention from his family that can give them a chance to live a new life.

Prescription drug abuse and addiction is a severe and growing problem in the United States. Abuse of prescription drugs has surpassed that of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, leading to new drug addictions for millions of Americans each year. The most critical problem is that users are generally under the impression that such drugs are "safe" because they are medically approved for use. However, most of these drugs are made from dangerous and addictive substances such as opiates, and even under supervised medical care addiction can occur. But while there may be drug addiction treatment centers readily available in every state, the best defense against prescription drug addiction is a good offense in the form of education.

The demographics of people who abuse and become addicted to prescribed drugs are surprisingly diverse. Affluent people, the very poor, the educated and uneducated, professionals and laborers alike all fall victim to this disease. According to 2004 research by the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, an estimated 20% of adult Americans have abused these drugs at some point in their life. In fact, abuse of painkillers and sedatives is highest among the elderly, who are prescribed more of these drugs than any other age group. Even under a physician's care it is possible to become addicted to such medications and many elderly may not even realize they have become addicted.

The second largest age group of prescription substance abusers - and the fastest growing - is among teens. Prescribed drugs are easy for most teens to obtain and are often marketed under the guise that these drugs are safe alternatives to other drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin. In fact, this popularity of prescription drug use among teens has helped push prescription drugs to become the 2nd most widely abused drugs in the country behind marijuana. Painkiller abuse by teens is especially dangerous considering that the human brain is still developing and can be profoundly and permanently affected by even moderate drug use.

The mental and physical health risks associated with prescription drug addiction are substantial. For example, a 2004 study on deaths caused by poisoning in the United States indicated that nearly all were caused by drugs, and most were specifically related to prescription drug abuse. (According to theantidrug.com, a US-Government-backed website dedicated to eradicating illicit drug use.) This is attributed to the fact that these drugs are highly addictive, cause tolerance and dependence to develop rapidly, and have severe physiological consequences such as heart failure, pulmonary disorders, seizures, stroke, suicidal or homicidal tendencies and psychotic episodes.

Despite the severity of most prescription drug addiction problems, treatment is easy to obtain and can be very effective. Severe problems can be addressed in an inpatient treatment center, while less severe problems or recent relapses can be treated in an outpatient treatment program. While each might have varying levels of treatment, both make use of individual and group therapies as part of a lifelong strategy of Relapse Prevention to address denial management and the treatment of Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome or PAWS.

Whatever your situation may be and wherever you are, you've come to the right place. Use the links below for more information or to call us right now for a free, confidential and no-obligation consultation to see how we can help you or someone you care about fight the disease of prescription drug addiction.